Imagine a lawyer who has been assigned a case for a murder suspect. On the morning of the trial, the lawyer finds irrefutable evidence of his client’s guilt. When the court is called to order, the lawyer stands and faces the judge saying: “This man deserves everything he has coming to him.”

The blunt righteousness of children with Saturn in Sagittarius can be quite breathtaking and is far more obvious in religious conviction and moral debate. Religion or politics are breeding grounds for extremely intense arguments and disagreements. There will be black eyes and bloodied noses during the election seasons. These children would risk exclusion to ensure their right to speak their minds.

At around the age of 7, these children probably witnessed extreme injustice that led to suffering or some form of incarceration. At their very hearts, these children fear being denied freedom because they (or someone else) lacked the courage of their convictions. Their faith in the justice system has been seriously shaken. They will hate your wishy-washy, sit-on-the-fence opinions meant to placate the entire classroom. You will be goaded into offering your views on capital punishment and they will laugh in your face. Put evidence in their faces and they suddenly act as if you meant to hurt their tender little compassionate feelings. Don’t fall for it. More than any other pupils you teach, Saturn in Sagittarius pupils need to take responsibility for their opinions. They need to be encouraged to base their theories on reliable resources rather than ecclesiastical rantings, extreme examples of injustices or operative laws in Timbuktu. In other words, get their heads out of the clouds and make them have a good look at the reality around them.

Because Saturn in Sagittarius children fear loss of freedom, it can be hard to get them to take the educational bit and saddle. Detentions will scare them but they will wear you out with their arguments of their innocence. Trying to punish them is like punishing yourself ten times worse. Instead, show them the real injustice of the breadline. The Salvation Army (and other religious organisations) always needs volunteers and pupils with Saturn in Sagittarius can see what religious compassion, hard work and a frugal lifestyle can achieve. These pupils will learn the line between being solvent and being destitute is a very fine one indeed. Do prepare yourself beforehand for their outrageous and even offensive commentary on unemployment, homelessness and poverty. Remember they are pupils who are learning about these things (they can be so priggishly self-righteous it’s easy to forget) and they are probably badly regurgitating something their parents have said or something they picked up in church or from the Perry Mason Show. Let them discover alternative views and then get them to badger their MPs to make changes to the laws.

Around the age of 14-15, these pupils will hear of new ideas and they may suddenly want to change the GCSE courses they had so carefully chosen the year before. They are completely confident they’re smart enough to catch up with all the coursework and exam practice required to complete their new interests. You and your colleagues will spend a lot of time and energy trying to persuade them to stick with their commitments but these risk takers will want to gamble their success away. Fortunately, this phase ends and these pupils slowly realise there is value to sticking to familiar territory once the exam pressure really starts to bite. These guys are visionaries and academic failure does not appeal to them because it jeopardises their chances of achieving further education.

If you’re a teacher with Saturn in Sagittarius you are probably not known for your grace, elegance or for your ability to keep a secret. Colleagues carrying mugs of coffee give you ample room to pass by and the head teacher has learned private conversations with you will be broadcast the next day. You may notice no one asks you for your opinion (though it doesn’t stop you from giving it!). At around the age of 30, some crisis in your faith may have caused you really wonder what life is all about. You may do some travelling, heavy academic research or start attending church again. By 60, after you have been just about everywhere, you realise the God you have been searching for all your life actually resides quite peacefully in the soul of every being.

Fine tuning the role of Saturn:

Saturn in Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. To get a better idea of how a person works towards success, examine their Jupiter placements.

Jupiter in Aries: The pupils work for opportunities to explore their bravery. They are the ultimate risk-takers and inevitably they take quite a few knocks—but miraculously never seem to do serious damage to themselves. Because of their often breathtaking and often careless activities, others seem to avoid them. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them prepare their safety nets—or even do it for them.

Jupiter in Taurus: These pupils work for opportunities to explore their resources. They are usually very good at making money and equally adept at spending it. But they don’t waste money, they re-invest it to get even more money. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them have faith in the abundance in life.

Jupiter in Gemini: These pupils work for opportunities to learn. They devour books at break neck speed and are probably your best pupils. However, their knowledge can be superficial but because they speak and write with such confidence, it can be easy to overlook that beneath the huge volumes of work they produce they haven’t actually made solid points. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them dig deeper and have more faith in what they are trying to say.

Jupiter in Cancer: These pupils work for opportunities to care for others. They are cautious learners and it can be tricky to get them to explore new territories if lessons aren’t linked together well. Natural philanthropists, they know that everyone likes to feel at home and they will try to accommodate the needs of all. They spoil others with their kindness and can feel taken advantage of. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them feel comfortable with and have faith in saying “no”.

Jupiter in Leo: These pupils work for opportunities to show off. They need to be the centre of attention—and they make themselves huge targets for sabotage by others. They often make the mistake of assuming everyone is as generous as they are and discover too late that others don’t share their great faith. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them share the limelight and believe that others are just as important as they are.

Jupiter in Virgo: These pupils work for opportunities to analyse details. They can get completely tangled in minutiae and finer points of lessons, therefore missing the objective completely. Consequently, they are often over-worked (or complain that they are). These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them have faith in the bigger picture.

Jupiter in Libra: These pupils work for opportunities to socialise with others. Born diplomats, they can get themselves in tangles by being too loyal to too many people. They enjoy art and culture but can be put off by facts and figures. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them to have more faith in themselves.

Jupiter in Scorpio: These pupils work for opportunities to control life. They are master manipulators and can be very heavy going and driven to see how far they can push themselves and others. They live life on the edge—and often with one foot in the grave. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them uncover their hidden resources—and let everyone else discover their own.

Jupiter in Sagittarius: These pupils work for opportunities to learn and philosophise. Unfortunately, they can come across as opinionated and irreverent and other people can’t resist the urge to knock them off their high horses. But fortunately (for them), they get right back up again. They are boisterous learners. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them have faith in quiet and stillness.

Jupiter in Capricorn: These pupils work for opportunities to further their careers. They are not afraid of hard work but do not like meanders from the traditional. They are practical and are often worried about what they don’t have. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them have faith in change.

Jupiter in Aquarius: These pupils work for opportunities to liberate and experiment. They eschew rules and regulations. They rant against fascism and dogma and worship democracy. However, they overlook that they themselves sound dogmatic at times. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them have faith in discovering their own beliefs.

Jupiter in Pisces: These pupils work for opportunities to explore the mystical. These pupils are dreamy and kind but can be too dependent on others. They see the good in others and seem to truly believe there are no such things as bad people. Deeply spiritual, they like peace and quiet. These pupils need teachers and authority figures to help them get their heads out of the clouds and face a few home truths about the world.

Case profile:

Shirley Temple-Black

(photo on left is in the public domain)

23 April 1928,

Jupiter in Aries

Saturn in Sagittarius;

1st Jupiter return Jan 1940, age 11 years, 8 months

1st Saturn Opposition: July 1943, aged 15 years 2 months

Time lapsed between 1st Jupiter return, last Saturn opposition

: 3 years 6 months

1st Saturn return Dec 1957

2nd Saturn return Feb, May, Nov 1987,

4th Jupiter return June, Nov, 1987 Jan 1988

Although little Shirley Temple began her film career in 1934, it is her phenomenal feature film debut in Bright Eyes for which she is remembered. Released at the end of 1934, as Saturn opposed its natal position, she was starring in a film about a little orphaned girl who becomes embroiled in a custody battle between her godfather and cranky uncle (but resolved the problem by suggesting everyone live together).

The following year, she featured in Curly Top as transit Jupiter was conjunct her natal Saturn. Again, she played an orphan who is a key player in the romance between her older sister and anonymous beau. In 1937, during transit Jupiter’s squares to its natal position and Saturn’s conjunction to Uranus in Aries, she again plays the part of an orphan in Heidi. Shirley was a beautiful, charming child whose image was used for dolls, dishes and clothing. From 1935-1938, she was the top box office draw in the relatively new world of cinema. She even left her hand and foot prints in cement outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in 1935.

However, as she reached adolescence, her popularity waned and by the time she had reached her first Jupiter return, she left the film industry to finish high school. In the previous months, Saturn was conjunct her natal Jupiter and then her natal Mercury and transit Jupiter had made a series of three hits to natal Uranus. Imagine how awful it would be to realise that growing meant that suddenly everyone stopped loving you!

As Jupiter opposed itself and Mercury (three times) and Saturn squared Mercury (three times) in 1945, Shirley married when she was only 17. Although she had a daughter during the marriage, the union did not last to its fifth anniversary. During the final throes of the marriage, Saturn made three squares to its natal position in Sagittarius, three conjunctions to her MC and three oppositions to natal Mars in Pisces. Perhaps she did not want to marry in haste and repent at leisure. The ink on the divorce was barely dry when she re-married—reputedly to one of the richest young men in California–but this time the marriage lasted until his death in 2004.

In 1957-58, during a time of three Jupiter oppositions to the natal position, she returned to television in Shirley Temple’s Storybook.

What does a former child star with Saturn in Sagittarius do when the acting parts dry up? Shirley turned her attention to politics and ran (unsuccessfully) for the Republican House of Representatives in 1967 as transit Jupiter was conjunct her natal Neptune. The start of her fourth Jupiter return brought success as she was appointed a US ambassador to Ghana in 1976 and then as an ambassador for Czechoslovakia in 1989 as transit Jupiter opposed natal Saturn.